Seed-dropper



UNTTED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

SAMUEL XV. IIARMAN AND FREELAND I'I. ROMANS, OF BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS.

SEED-DROPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,434, dated December 31, 1895.

Application filed April 10, 1895.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SAMUEL \V. HARMAN and FREELAND H. ROMANS, citizens of the United States, residing at Bentonville, in the county of Benton and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Droppers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in corn-planters and the like; and it has for its object the production of a seed-dropper which shall be simple in construction, efficient in operation, cheap and durable.

lVith these objects in view the invention comprises the details of construction, and the peculiar combination and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of our improved seed-box. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line a m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail perspective view of the cut-offs and chute. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view on a reduced scale. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the seed-box of a planter which is preferably circular in form and mounted on any suitable carrying-frame. (Notshown) The bottom a of said seed-box is formed of a circular flange a secured to the lower edges of the sides a said flange forming a circular opening a A hole or opening a is formed in flange a, the same being designed to form a passage-way from seed-box to the drill-tubes. (Not shown.)

B is a circular seed-disk which rests on flanges a and is adapted to rotate around a rod or bolt I) mounted in supporting-bars b 19 secured to the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the sides a of the seed-box, said rod or bolt forming an axis for said disk. The disk 13 is provided with gear-teeth b on its under side, which teeth are engaged by a pinion O, which latter is rotated by any suitable means, the operation of said pinion causing the revolution of said disk. Holes or open- Serial No. 545,201. (No model.)

ings 19 having rear groovesor inclinations b v are formed in disk B and are adapted to register with the hole or opening a during the revolution of said disk.

The supporting-arm Z) is adj ustably mounted in box A by means of a short arm or projection 02 secured to the sides a said arm d being provided with a slot d in which works a set-screw d which is also passed through the arm or bar I). This arm I? is designed to support what we term the cage or principal cut-off, which comprises a series of metal wires 61 secured to said arm at their upper ends, said wires being made of spring metal and bent down at right angles, the lower ends (1 thereof extending down nearly to disk B and directly over the line of passage of the holes or openings b the wires being free at their lower ends and each wire acting independently of the other, said wires being adapted to act as a cut-off, as hereinafter more fully described. Adjacent to said cage and extending in the line of movement or rotation of the seed-disk is a chute D,Which is open at the end nearest said cage, its other end d being partly closed. A plate 01 is formed integral with one of the sides of said chute and is secured to the arm 1) whereby said chute is supported in juxtaposition with said cage.

Adjacent hole or opening a and beyond the chute D is a flexible cut-off E, which is eccentrically mounted with relation to the movement of said seed-disk, said cut-off being secured to a projecting portion 6 of the seedbox. This cut-off is made of any suitable flexible materialsuch as rubber, leather, &c.and is provided with a slot 6 through which is passed one end of a spring-arm 6 the other end of which is secured at e to the bar I). An inclosing casing 6 having a projecting portion c secured to bar 1) adjacent the wires d is designed to inclose said chute and flexible cut-off. A curved arm or deflector e is rigidly secured on the rod orbolt b.

The operation of our seed-box is as follows: In the rotation of disk 13 the deflector e will direct the corn or other seed toward the periphery thereof, one or more grains falling into each of the holes 11 whereby they are carried around toward the discharge-tubes.

As each hole of said disk passes the wires (1 any superfluous grain will be removed therefrom by said wires, each of said spring-wires acting independently of the others, permitting a grain of corn to go through under one spring-wire while all the others remain unmoved, the grooves or inclinations enabling the superfluous grain to be readily drawn out of said holes or openings. After passing said wires the said holes b pass under the chute D which is designed to conduct into the holes of the disk any grains that maybe displaced by the cut-off, and if perchance the wires (1 should not remove all superfluous seed the cut-off E will serve to accomplish this result. pass said latter cut-01f they register with the hole or opening a and the seed is dropped into the discharge-tube, the foregoing operation being continued until the seed-box is emptied. It will be seen that the cut-off E being eceentrically arranged with relation to the movement of disk B will direct the superfluous grain toward the center of the seed-box, the same being caused to pass beneath the casing e by the action of said disk, said casing being open at its lower edge for that purpose.

From what has been said it will be seen that we have produced a seed-box which is simple in construction, efficient in operation, and being composed of but few parts is cheap and durable and not liable to be easily deranged.

lVhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, and a series of right'angular spring wires adjustably secured at their upper ends in said seed-box and having the free independently movable lower ends and forming a cut-off arranged in the line of travel of said holes or openings, substantially as set forth.

2. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, a series of spring wires adjustably secured at their upper ends in said seed-box and having the free independently movable lower ends and forming a cut-off, and a flexible cut-off, both of said cut-oifs being arranged in the line of travel of said holes or openings, substantially as set forth.

3. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, a series of right-angular spring wires adj ustably mounted in said seedbox, having the free independently movable lower ends, and forming a cut-off, and a flexible cut-oif also mounted in said seed-box and arranged eeeen-trically to the line of travel of As the holes or openings of disk B said holes or openings of said disk, substantially as set forth.

4. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, an arm or bar adjustably secured in said seed-box, a series of spring wires forminga cut-01f and supported at their upper ends by said arm or bar, and a flexible cut-off mounted in said seed-box and arranged eccentrically to the line of travel of the holes or openings in said disk, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, an arm or bar adjustably secured in said seed-box, a series of spring wires forming a cut-oif supported by said arm or bar, a chute located adjacent said wire cutoff and in the line of travel of the holes or openings of said disk, and a flexible cut-oil located beyond said chute and arranged eccentrically with relation to the line of travel of said holes or openings, substantially as set forth.

(5. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, an arm or bar adjustably secured in said seed-box, a casing supported by said arm or bar, a series of spring wires forming a cut-off also supported by said arm or bar, a chute located within said casin g adjacent said wire cut-01f, and a flexible cut-off also located in said casing and mounted eccentrically with relation to the line of travel of the holes or openings in said disk, substantially as set forth. I

7. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed'box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, an arm or bar adjustably secured in said seed-box, a casing supported by said arm or bar and forming a supplemental chamber, a series of spring wires forming a cut-off also supported by said arm or bar, a chute located within said supplemental chain ber and adjacent to said wire cut-off, a flexible cut-off also located in said supplemental chamber and mounted eccentrioally with relation to the line of travel of the holes or openings in said disk, and an agitator arm located within said seed-box, substantially as set forth.

8. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, an arm or bar adjustably secured in. said seed-box, a casing supported by said arm or bar and forming a supplemental chamber, a series of spring wires forming a cut-off also supported by said arm or bar, a chute located within said supplementalchamher and adjacent to said wire cut-off, a flexible cutoff also located in said supplemental chamber and mounted eccentrically with relation to the line of travel of the holes or openings in said disk, and a spring for normally holding said flexible cut-off in contact with said disk, substantially as set forth.

9. The herein-described improvement in corn-planters, comprising a seed-box having a lower flange, a rotatable disk supported by said flange and having a series of holes or openings therein, an arm or bar adjustably secured in said seed-box, a series of spring wires supported by said arm or bar and forming a cut-ofi, and a flexible cut-off mounted in said seed-box and arranged eccentrically with relation to the line of travel of the holes or openings in said disk, and an agitator mounted in said seed-box, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we afliX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

' SAMUEL W. HARMAN.

FREELAND H. ROMANS. Witnesses W. B. DEMING, J. W. HOLMES. 

